I am an organizer. I love routine. I love structure. Creating my schedule and writing plans for my students is definitely something that makes me happy! In fifth grade, we departmentalize, which sometimes makes this a challenge, though. I try to go with the flow!

Here is a basic outline of our schedule {although it tends to change often}:

8:40 - 9:00Students arrive and unpack. While I complete lunch count, attendance, etc., the students work on their morning work. Right now the students do Daily Language and Daily Geography each week.

9:00-10:20I teach my first reading class of the day. My students either go to their reading or math class.

10:20 - 11:10 I have my homeroom for Social Studies.

11:10 - 12:00 My students have P.E., Technology, Music, Library or Art at this time.

12:00 - 12:40 I teach Social Studies to the neighboring homeroom, while my students my go next door to Science.

12:40 - 1:20Time for lunch and recess! Every other day, I have recess duty. We are so excited to finally be back outside after this brutal New England winter.

1:20 - 2:30 I have my second reading class of the day. Again, my students go to their math or reading class at this time (the opposite of their morning class).

2:30 - 3:00Writing with my homeroom students.

3:00 - 3:10Dismissal

I hang our schedule up every day as a reminder for my students and myself. If there are any changes to the schedule, I let my students know right away in the morning so that they can be prepared for the day. This is a photo of our Wednesday schedule, which is very different from the rest of the week because my students get an extra special that day. We call it Wacky Wednesday!

I'm pretty picky about my calendars and plan books, so I designed my own! It's exactly what I want and need to keep myself organized for the year. You can even grab an editable copy in my store!

What does your schedule look like? Link up with these two fabulous ladies for #2getherwearebetter!

I'm joining Pawsitively Teaching and Inspired Owl's Corner to share my Top 3 Pinterest picks for my classroom for the month of April. Each one comes from my upper-grade blogging idols. These ladies have some awesome ideas to share!

Click on image to see original pin from Pinterest.

For the first time, I've started using task cards in my classroom. I have no idea why I didn't start sooner!! I hang them around the room and the students work quietly at each station. It's great chance for them to move around and they stay super focused. Now, I just need a way to store all those task cards! Teaching with a Mountain View shared this simple, but effective way to store them. I especially love how they are all labeled!

Click on image to view original pin from Pinterest.

My students will be on Spring Break at the end of April, so I thought a version of The Brown Bag Teacher's Winter Break Challenge would be perfect for my reading groups!

Click on image to view original pin from Pinterest.

This trimester, my students are really going to start diving into Non-Fiction reading. As we reach the end of the year, it's also time when students start to lose focus. I think Ms. Leslie Ann's Close Reading Tool Kits will really do the trick!

Stop by my Pinterest page to check out more of my favorite tips and tricks!

I'm Sara Soucy. I am an elementary school teacher, curriculum writer, educational blogger and founder of The Colorful Apple. This blog is a collection of my favorite ideas and materials for the classroom. Welcome!